This disclosure relates generally to the fabrication of conductive substrates for electronic devices, particularly optoelectronic devices, such as light emitting diodes (LEDs).
Many electronic devices include a conductive substrate on which different electrical elements are mounted. For example, an optoelectronic device can include a conductive substrate make of a semiconductor material, such as silicon, and a light emitting diode (LED) chip mounted to the conductive substrate. In addition to providing a support structure for the LED chip, the conductive substrate can also include other electrical elements, such as terminals and conductors for making electrical connections to the LED chip. In addition, the conductive substrate can include heat transfer paths from the LED chip for dissipating heat generated during operation of the optoelectronic device.
Due to the operation of the various electrical elements on the conductive substrate, it is sometimes necessary to electrically isolate these electrical elements. Electrical isolation has typically been accomplished by depositing or growing insulating materials, such as polymers or oxides, on various surfaces of the substrate. In general, these techniques require specialized equipment, such as deposition or oxidation apparatus, and are therefore relatively expensive to perform. In addition, the deposited or grown insulating layers can adversely affect heat transfer paths from elements on the conductive substrate.
It would be advantageous to have a low cost method for fabricating conductive substrates for electronic devices. It would also be advantageous to have a method, which produces conductive substrates for optoelectronic devices with lower thermal resistance, higher brightness, improved efficiency and better reliability. The present disclosure is directed to a low cost method for fabricating conductive substrates, which produces improved electronic devices, particularly optoelectronic devices. However, the foregoing examples of the related art and limitations related therewith, are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of the related art will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon a reading of the specification and a study of the drawings.